The agreement was signed in Toronto on 25 June 2026 by Orqa co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Ivan Jelusic and RRS Chief Executive Kevin Toderel. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković were present, underlining the significance of the partnership.
The deal is estimated to be worth $150 million CAD over the next five years. It will begin with an initial investment of $20 million CAD to support the expansion of RRS production facilities.
The partners said the agreement is expected to create up to 100 new high-value technology jobs in Ottawa and Toronto by the fourth quarter of 2027. They expect to scale production to 1,000 systems per month by mid-2027, with a target of 10,000 systems per month by 2029.
Canada is becoming the first non-European country to participate in the EU’s Security Action For Europe initiative. The SAFE initiative is designed to increase the EU’s sovereign defence capabilities and reflects a shared ambition to deepen defence ties and strengthen joint security cooperation.
Orqa said the agreement is a milestone for the company and marks the first deployment of its new Defence Transformation Platform. The platform is designed to help countries build sovereign drone ecosystems.
Ivan Jelusic, CCO at Orqa, said, “This MoU will formalize the strategic framework for cooperation between RRS and Orqa to co-develop, manufacture, and commercialize advanced defence technologies. The specific focus is on uncrewed systems, counter-drone capabilities, and AI integration.”
“RRS is the leading supplier of these systems to the armed forces and first responders in Canada, making them our ideal partner. We are committed to helping our allies create sovereign defence capabilities and this partnership is another step forward towards that goal.”
Kevin Toderel, CEO of RRS, added, “Orqa is the global leader in sUAS systems. We are proud to be able to build these systems in Canada and work with Orqa to increase capabilities and act as a supply chain and software development partner, bringing Canadian IP to the world.”
“Our aim is to build Canadian capability and capacity for sUAS systems, ensuring Canada has ready access to this essential strategic resource now and in the future.” The partnership places Canadian production and software development at the centre of Orqa’s North American expansion.
The collaboration covers technology transfer and production licensing. Orqa will support the transfer of relevant technology and grant production licences to RRS to enable localised Canadian manufacturing.
The companies will also jointly develop solutions for Canada’s armed forces, first responders and allied NATO partners. The cooperation will focus on evolving operational requirements across uncrewed systems, counter-drone capabilities and AI-enabled platforms.
RRS and Orqa will collaborate on research, development and integration of RRS’s sovereign AI capabilities. These capabilities are planned for mutually developed and manufactured platforms.
The agreement also includes development of RRS facilities as Orqa’s second North American manufacturing hub. The facilities are intended to serve as Orqa’s primary export launchpad into the continent’s wider defence and commercial market.
Orqa designs and manufactures components and complete FPV and unmanned aerial systems in Croatia for customers in more than 50 markets worldwide. The company said its vertically integrated manufacturing provides supply chain independence, with all key components made in the EU.
Orqa described itself as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. It said it was ranked 135th overall and second in Aerospace and Defense in the Financial Times FT1000 list of Europe’s 1,000 fastest-growing companies.
